Lost in Darkness

by ChocolateFan25

Chapter 7 - Hope

"Ugh, my back is killing me. I should've searched for a better sleeping spot than the boulder." Fleetfoot thought with a frown and stretched her aching back.

The forest was still in the grip of the night, but in the distance she could see the first rays of the morning sun shining through the thick foliage. The first birds started chirping and a faint mist spread across the creek, which she had followed for nearly a day. The path was rough, so it took her quite some time to get forward. But she was confident, that she would reach the river soon.

"At least there's grass everywhere. It still feels strange to eat it, though." she thought and remembered the taste of grass still on her tongue. Despite the good first impression it left a somewhat bitter aftertaste.

After walking for so long she quickened her pace. She knew, that the Hayseed Swamps were huge, but she grew impatient. "What if this creek leads into nowhere?" she wondered for a second and stopped. "But... it can't just disappear into the ground. If it doesn't end in the river it should end in the sea. It would be farther away from Baltimare..."

Suddenly, she heard a rustling. Her ears perked up and her entire body tensed. "Was I too loud again?" Fleetfoot thought and looked around for the source of the noise. The experiences of the last days made her very jumpy and she expected the next shock behind every tree. She heard the rustling again, together with a faint squeak. The pegasus gulped and thought for a second while standing still.

"Is it an enemy? Should I run away? What if it hasn't seen or heard me yet? If that is the case and I run away, it will know of my presence." Against her instinct to turn around and run as fast as her legs could, she stood there and waited longer. Her breathing became slow and quiet and her legs prickled with adrenalin. "I wait only a little bit longer..." she thought, gritting her teeth. The source of the noise came closer.

Across the creek, behind a small bush, she saw something white poking out. A second later she saw something jumping out of the bush. Fleetfoot held her breath until she noticed the animal. To her surprise - and her relief - it turned out to be some sort of rabbit. What confused her about the small animal were the two small, white antler on top of its head.

"That's... strange. I think I saw a picture of one of those in a book about forest animals. What was its name? Jackiloo? Or was it Jackalope?" Fleetfoot cocked her head while trying to remember the name of the species.

The rabbit looked at her for a moment, seemingly confused about the presence of the pegasus and whether she was a danger or not. After a moment of silence and nothing happening, the rabbit decided, that Fleetfoot would cause no harm and came closer to its side of the creek. It bent down and started to drink some of the water with its tiny tongue.

Fleetfoot watched the rabbit and a smile spread across her face. The sight of the fluffy bunny and the tiny noises it made while drinking was almost too adorable for Fleetfoot. At any time she would've suppressed her desire to acknowledge it. It would make her look soft in front of others, which could lead into problems. But right now she couldn't help herself. "Aww..." she said with affection and her gaze became more dreamy.

The rabbit looked up with surprise and squeaked. Suddenly, the small rabbit turned around and jumped away. Despite its small height it was able to run faster than Fleetfoot expected.

Her smile vanished and she watched the rabbit running away. "No, wait! I didn't want to scare you!" she yelled. Without a second thought she jumped through the creek, which grew wider with every mile, but not deeper. It was not a problem for her to cross it in a few jumps.

The water splashed high into the air, sprinkling her already muddy coat. As soon as she felt the soft and muddy ground under her hooves, she started running after the rabbit. "Please, wait!" she yelled. "You're the first cute thing I've seen in days!" The rabbit didn't stopped and disappeared with a last jump in a hole, just underneath a large oak tree.

Fleetfoot slid to a stop and looked into the hole with low hanging ears. She kneeled down before the hole and looked into it. She couldn't see anything. "Just let me pet you once, okay? I'll leave after that, I promise." she said into the hole. But no sound came out of it.

Fleetfoot sighed and looked up. "I would've loved to look at the bunny a bit longer. Everything here is hostile, so it would be a nice break to have something adorable at my side." she thought with disappointment. She then looked down into the hole again and a question came into her mind. "How did it escape into the hole with the antler? I'm sure they were far larger than the hole is..." she muttered and rubbed her chin.

After a while she got up and stretched her legs. "It's no use. I mean, petting that bunny won't bring me any closer to civilization."

She was about to turn around, when her gaze fell onto the tree before her. It was a lot larger than most of the other trees and its curvy branches reached high into the sky. The other trees grew mostly straight into the air with few branches, that she could climb on. But this tree had low hanging branches, some of them were big enough for her to stand on.

"I could try climbing it." she thought. "Maybe I find the river from up there." With a confident smile she took the first step.

But before she could even touch the bark, a new thought made her hesitate. "But what if I slip and fall? My wings are still useless and a broken leg would definitely be my death sentence." Fleetfoot took a deep breath and put her hoof onto the rough bark. "Stop worrying." she said to herself. "Nothing will go wrong. I have to stay positive."

With one hoof she grasped the first branch and stretched her hind legs as much as possible, to stand a bit higher. With her other hoof she grasped another branch close by and lifted herself up. She almost lost her balance and instinctively fluttered her good wing, but after some wobbling she stood firm on the branch.

Fleetfoot took another breath and smiled confidently. It was only the first step, but it made her brave enough to continue. It proved to be quite a challenge to find new branches to climb higher. Sometimes she had to move to another branch and the higher she climbed, the more nervous she was about falling down. But the higher she climbed, the more branches were around her and gave her a feeling of safety back.

"Why did I hesitate in the first place?" Fleetfoot wondered with a smile and reached out for the next branch. "It's absolutely eas--"

The branch, she tried to pull herself up, broke off with a loud crack and she fell forward. Her eyes widened in blind panic and she tried to grasp for the first best thing. She got some hold before it would've been to late.

"I-I should be more careful..." Fleetfoot thought and gulped. "That could've ended very bad."

She moved more slowly and finally came close to the top. The green leaves now surrounded her everywhere and she had to push some of the smaller branches away to see, where she was going.

Fleetfoot looked up and saw the light of the sun shining through the few last twigs, which were between her and the open sky. The light danced through the young leaves and shone in a green shade on the forest ground. Just watching this with the wind moving everything and creating a play of colors was fascinating for Fleetfoot. She just stood there and watched in awe.

Suddenly, she shook her head. "I have to get up. This is the best way to find out, where I have to go. And where exactly I am right now." she thought, reminding herself why she climbed the tree in the first place.

Carefully, she walked closer up the trunk and pushed the leaves away for a last time. Finally, she was able to poke her head out of the forest.

The dancing lights were beautiful to her. But Fleetfoot knew no words to describe the view in front of her. Far in the distance she saw the morning sun rising up behind a few larger hills, which bathed the entire sky in an orange-yellow glow. Even the few clouds above her were colored in the warm colors, which added to the magnificent view.

Fleetfoot stood there and tried to take everything in. "I've seen so many dawns." she thought "But none of them were... like this."

A cold, yet refreshing breeze blew past her, ruffling through her messy mane and bedraggled coat. Fleetfoot closed her eyes and unfolded her good wing, letting the wind go underneath it. For a second it felt like flying again. Letting go of every problem and being a part of the sky.

With a loud sigh she folded the wing again and looked to her right. "Soon." she muttered. "I won't be here for much longer. I'm sure of that." She then turned her head to look above the trees and tried to recognize any of them. "Nothing too memorable." she thought disappointed until she saw something far away. It was a mountain, just poking out in the distance. While the trees looked all the same to her, she would always remember that mountain.

"Is it...?" she thought "If this is what I think it is, then I shouldn't be too far away from Baltimare. A three hour flight. Or another day of walking for me. After all, I have to cross the river, which should be the hardest part in my journey."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat and she already imagined the faces of her friends when she would walk up to them. Her gaze fell down on the blue scarf around her neck. "Nothing can stop me now. Nothing."

***

Misty Fly checked her saddle bags for the last time before she left her room. "The present, the card... the map." She took the folded map out of the bag and opened it. It was a map of the Hayseed Swamps and it was covered in all kinds of markings. Multiple spots were encircled with a red marker, so she still knew what places she could check a second time. She folded it again and put it back with a sigh.

"Four days now. And not a single sign of her." she thought with a low hanging head. "Now I start to understand the others. The longer I search, the more disappointed I am when I go home without finding her or any signs of her."

The sound of hooves coming closer caught her attention. Soarin just came out of his room, not too far away from her. He already wore his blue uniform, but his mane looked as unkempt as always. He turned around and spotted her. "Good morning." he greeted her and walked to her. "Are you going somewhere?" He pointed at her saddle bag with curiosity in his eyes.

Misty Fly rubbed her head nervously and said "Yeah, I promised my brother last week that I would take a day off and spent his birthday with him. We don't see each other much lately."

Soarin put on a genuine smile and said "Oh, that's great! I mean, the last days were a lot of stress for all of us. You really deserve a break. After all, you gave the most effort in the search." His smile wavered and he spoke the last words slower then he would normally. He seemed to be nervous if he could speak about it without hurting her feelings.

Misty Fly sighed quietly and looked at her bag, which contained the map. "It's not like I've found her yet. That's why I won't stay too long at the party. Only an hour or so."

Soarin frowned at her words. "You don't need--"

"I do. It's my fault, that she's there and I will get her out."

His gaze softened and he stepped closer to her. "Stop saying it's your fault. It isn't." he said.

She could hear worry in his voice. "But it is. I had the responsibility and I screwed it up." The memories of the fight still lingered in her mind. It bothered her more than she would like to admit to anypony. But no matter how often she reflects on it, she always comes to the conclusion, that she should've ended the fight between her friends before picking up the fight with the Timberwolves.

"Misty..." Soarin said. He looked away for a moment and tried to come up with the right words to brighten her up or convince her, that everything would be fine soon. But the words didn't come. For a long moment both of them stood in the middle of the hall, looking awkwardly away.

"Anyway, what are you going to do today?" Misty Fly asked. She couldn't stand the silence any longer and decided to change the topic.

Soarin seemed to be glad about the change, but he was still nervous about his answer. "Oh, well... We still have that race scheduled and Spitfire forgot to cancel it after Fleetfoot disappeared. She said, that we could get in trouble with the sponsors, so she asked us if we would still want to participate."

"And you still want to do it?"

"We were unsure at first. We wanted to go back to the Hayseed Swamps and continue the search. But then, Spitfire told us, we don't need to anymore."

Misty Fly's eyelids drooped and she looked down again. "She gave her up that easily?" she wondered. "Am I the only one who really cares about the well-being of all of my comrades?" "Oh, right. She called the operation a failure yesterday." she said to Soarin, but still trying her best to hide her disappointment in her comrades.

Soarin's face brightened up again, seemingly happy to deliver a good news for once. "Not anymore. Yesterday, we both talked about it for a while and she decided to try it again. She contacted a tracker team, who is supposed to be really good at finding missing ponies. Then, she got them to cooperate with the Timberwolf team, who agreed on giving it a last try. She also informed the towns close to the woods and their resident weather teams, that a pony went missing. So if anypony should spot her by chance, we will be informed."

The blue-maned pegasus looked at her friend with surprise and her ears lifted again. "She did that?" she thought. "I thought... But are the chances really higher, if we just let other ponies do the search?" She looked to Soarin and asked "And we really shouldn't continue the search ourselves?"

"We did everything we could. But it's impossible to spot anything from above. So we can't do anything but wait for information from the ground team."

"What he says makes sense." she thought and rubbed her chin. "I guess..." she muttered.

Soarin saw the uncertainness still in her look. "Listen, if you would feel better, we could fly a last time over the woods ourselves."

Misty Fly smiled at him for a moment, grateful for the things he does for his friends. Her ears hung low, though. "I would feel better if we would finally find her."

Now it was Soarin who sighed quietly. "I know."

Misty Fly looked up again and with a warm smile. "But thanks, Soar. I would really appreciate it, if we would fly together."

Soarin chuckled. He was always glad if he was able to make somepony else happy.

She wanted to walk away, so she wouldn't be too late for her meeting with her brother, when something came into her mind. "Anyway, who will replace Fleetfoot in the race?" She remembered Fleetfoot talking about the race before she disappeared and how hard she trained for it.

"High Winds. She offered to take her place when she heard, that the race wasn't cancelled." Soarin explained.

She cocked an eyebrow at his words. "High Winds? That surprises me." she said. "She was so cold when we went on the search. It makes me wonder if she and Fleetfoot are really friends."

"Why?"

"That's a long story. I can tell you later." she said. "By the way, do you know where she is right now?" "There is still something I need to know from her."

"No, I just came out of my room. But she's a morning pony, as far as I know, so she should be around." Soarin put his hoof under his chin while he thought about it.

"Thanks. You're a great comrade." Misty Fly said with a smile and held her hoof in front of him.

"He he, thanks. I'll just give my best." he said with a chuckle and hoofbumped her. She walked already past her when he said "And have fun at the birthday. Time flies by fast enough, so you should spent as much time with your family as possible."

Misty Fly laughed and said "I'll do it." before she disappeared behind the next corner. "I'll be there soon, lil' bro. But I have to do something first." she thought and flew down the stairs.

She looked through almost every room of the main building. "She's not in the lounge. Or the training hall. And not in the canteen either." she thought while going through all those rooms and occasionally greet her other comrades.

Misty Fly stopped in front of the small kitchen, where she found her. High Winds sat on the small table, completely dressed in her blue and yellow uniform, like Soarin. Her goggles laid next to her on the table and were polished until the pieces of glass were shining. She silently said there, ate a small bowl with oatmeal and read a book. "Now that I think about it, I rarely see her in the canteen. As if she would avoid us." Misty Fly thought and walked into the room.

"Good morning, High Winds." she greeted the white pegasus.

High Winds looked up and responded with a short "Good morning." Without waiting she continued eating the oatmeal and looked into the book beside her. She didn't seem to mind Misty Fly's arrival.

Misty Fly took a seat on the opposite side of the table and cleared her throat. "Do you have some time?" she asked.

High Winds looked up at her and then at the clock on the wall before she looked down at the book again. "I have five hours, forty-five minutes and twenty seconds until the race starts." she said with a dry voice.

"Was that sarcasm or is she always talking like that?" Misty Fly wondered. "That's not what I meant. Do you have time to talk?" she asked again.

The pony in front of her needed a moment longer to respond. "Unless you want to give me a six hour long presentation, we have enough time to talk."

Misty Fly tried this time not to think too much about it or if it should make sense and got straight to the point. "I have a question that bothers me for a while now." She hesitated for a moment. Misty Fly rubbed her chin and pondered, if her question would be too brash. She decided to ask it anyway. "Is Fleetfoot your friend?"

"Yes." High Winds said without any hesitation.

This surprised Misty Fly even more. "You seem to be sure about that. But if you call her your friend, why do you never... care for her?"

High Winds looked at her for a while. Misty Fly could tell, that she thought intensely about her question. Finally, she cocked her head, even though her expression stayed motionless, and asked "...I don't think I understand what you want to tell me."

"Fleetfoot was dragged into one of the biggest and for ponies most dangerous woods in Equestria. And she was taken by Timberwolves. We all are worried, or at least concerned, and give our best to find her. But you didn't even bat an eye. Even when we found her ripped uniform, you stayed calm, as if we were dealing with a lost cookie or something similar mundane. How?" Even though she tried her best, Misty Fly's voice sounded more angry at the end. High Wind's behavior was one of the things that confused her a lot, and Misty Fly wanted an answer.

High Winds closed her book and pushed it away. She then turned to Misty Fly and said "It would be no use to panic. She wouldn't be back quicker and nopony would be helped by it." Before Misty Fly could say something else, High Winds said "Do you think I feel happy about Fleetfoot's possible, but not yet confirmed demise?"

These words took her aback. Misty Fly rubbed the back of her head and said "I wouldn't say happy, but you didn't seem to be bothered by it at all."

"I participated on every flight to the Hayseed Swamps, from dawn to dusk. I helped the Timberwolf team with everything they needed to do, like setting up the cameras. And I gave Spitfire the address to the tracker team in Las Pegasus."

Misty Fly cocked her eyebrows. "You did that?" She was under the impression, that it was Spitfire's idea to contact the tracker team. After all, she was the captain and she surely knew a lot of ponies.

High Winds nodded before standing up and putting the empty bowl away. "Fleetfoot always says other ponies would rarely understand my intentions, because I would be 'stuck on deadpan mode'." she explains.

Misty Fly tried her best to suppress a smile at those words. It was spot on. And something only Fleetfoot could come up with.

High Winds turned around to see in Misty Fly's eyes. "But I do want her back. After all, I still have something to give her."

"Something to give her?" Misty Fly repeated. "What do you mean?"

Without a warning High Winds turned around and trotted out of the kitchen. "Wha-- Hey! Where are you going?" Misty Fly yelled after her. The white pegasus was already around the corner and walked away.

"Here I was, getting a better impression of her and she just leaves me hanging." Misty Fly said with an annoyed snarl. "Well, I got my answer. Even though I didn't expect this." she thought and decided to drink a last cup of coffee before she would be gone for the day. The coffee pot was empty, much to her frustration.

"Fine. I make more." she muttered and took the box with coffee powder out of the cupboard. Just a minute later she heard the quiet gurgling of the coffee machine and it's smell filled the room.

The sound of hooves clacking on the floor came closer. Misty Fly turned around and lifted her ears in surprise, when High Winds came back into the kitchen. She carried a paper bag with her mouth and put it down in front of her.

"Here." she said.

"You could've just said what you want to give her." Misty Fly said and rubbed her chin. "How can Fleetfoot understand her at all?" she wondered before she pulled the bag closer to her and looked inside.

At first, she didn't understand why it was so important for High Winds to deliver it to Fleetfoot. Suddenly, she remembered where she had seen it before. "Wait... Is that...?" she asked before realizing something.

She pushed the bag back to the pegasus with the blue, curly mane, and rubbed the back of her head. She felt a newfound amazement for her comrade, as well as shame for thinking so low of her until a few seconds ago. "I'm really sorry for all those false accusations. Can you forgive me?" she asked sheepishly.

High Winds just shrugged and said "Sure."

It made Misty Fly feel better again and she looked into her eyes. Her gaze went past her and onto the wall clock close to them. Misty Fly's ears fell, when she noticed, how much time she had spent talking to her comrades. The coffee would have to wait. "Alright... I should leave now, or my brother will be mad." she said and hoped, that High Winds would understand it.

She cocked her head, thinking for a moment, before she said "I know, his tenth birthday. Please wish him a happy birthday from me."

"Thanks, I'll do--" Misty Fly said with a smile and was already on her way, until she noticed, that something didn't make sense.

"Wait, how do you know about it?" she asked. She remembered, that only Fleetfoot was with her, when she told about the party. And she wasn't the type of pony who tells everpony about everything she does.

High Winds moved the corners of her mouth just enough to form a faint smile. "I know about a lot of things."

***

The river was larger than Fleetfoot remembered. From above, it always looked like nothing more than a small, blue line on the ground. But she wasn't a few miles in the air. She stood right in front of it, which changed the situation. The river was wide with a couple of sharp rocks sticking out of it. The water splashed around them, causing a lot of foam and noise. It could be perfect to travel down with a kayak, and certainly very exciting. But crossing the river on hoof made Fleetfoot nervous.

"I'm not really good at swimming." she thought and gulped. "Actually, I can't do more than paddling like a dog. I lived my whole fillyhood up on Cloudsdale and even later, there was never a need to learn how to swim. If I just walk in and the current pulls me down, I'm very likely screwed."

She looked around to see, if there was a safer way to cross the river. The many sharp boulders were either too small or too far from each other.

"I could go upstream and see, if there's a better spot. Maybe a fallen tree right above it or something like that." she thought and remembered those few adventure novels she read as a foal.

It was still morning, but didn't waste any time. The path along the river was much easier to walk than most of the woods. It was flat and covered in grass or moss. "At least it's safe here." she thought and stopped for a moment to drink a bit. The water tasted as good as the water from the creek. She dipped her hoof into the water and splashed a bit into her face. "That felt good." she said and felt refreshed again.

She looked up and turned around to get going until she heard something strange. Fleetfoot looked around to find out, where the sound came from. The rushing water was a constant source of noise, but she still could hear the noise from the other side of the river. It was still quiet, but it sounded like some sort of barking.

"I hope I'm just imagining things." Fleetfoot thought and stood still. She wanted to know, if she was right or if she could walk further without a second thought. Some birds flew out of the trees on the other side and something jumped out of one of the hills. Fleetfoot's blood froze immediately and her eyes widened.

The Timberwolf pup stood there, wagging its tail and barking at the many birds in the air. "Oh no..." she thought "If the pup is here... the others won't be too far." Fleetfoot felt her heart beat faster and she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"No. I came so far, I won't stop only because of a pup. After all, it probably won't be able to cross the river and attack me. So I'm on the safe side right now." she thought and gave her best to push her fears away.

The pup hasn't noticed her. It was still busy jumping in the air and trying to catch the birds. It reminded her of the fight with the big Timberwolves a few days ago, but more harmless.

"Just ignore it." she muttered and started walking again. Her gaze was still on the Timberwolf, though. It jumped around and seemed to enjoy itself.

Suddenly, one of the birds landed on a boulder close to the river. The birds flew around, when the Timberwolf disturbed them, but they never flew away. As if they would play with him. The Timberwolf noticed this and stood still for a moment. It's mossy tongue hung out on the other side of its snout and it looked at the bird. Fleetfoot smiled at the view. It was still a dangerous animal, but it looked rather cute like this.

The Timberwolf lowered its head. Its ears were laid back, but still twitched at every new sound. It approached the small bird slowly and carefully with each step planned. Fleetfoot stopped for a moment to watch more closely. In her thoughts she hoped, that it would fail and the bird could escape. "Fly away!" she muttered under her breath.

The Timberwolf lowered its body a bit more before it opened its mouth wide and jumped at the bird. The bird had quicker reflexes and spread its wings before the pup even jumped. It flew higher and higher and the Timberwolf missed it by a few inches.

"YEAH!" she screamed in her thoughts and smiled. Seeing the Timberwolf fail made her happier than she would ever admit.

The pup didn't land on the boulder. It jumped onto the side and tried to jump back, but if fell down and tumbled down the smaller, sharper rocks until it landed with a loud splash into the water. All the way it yowled and threw its legs around in its desperate attempt to get back on its paws.

It sunk down for a moment and went up again. The current took the small pup down the river with such a force, that all paddling and struggling turned out to be useless.

Fleetfoot suddenly felt a panic inside her. The tiny, desperate barks tuck on her heart and urged her to jump into the water. "No, it's a Timberwolf!" she thought and tried to reason with her feelings. "It will bring me in far more danger if I try to rescue it. What if we both die? Neither of us can swim!"

The longer she waited the farther took the river the Timberwolf away. Fleetfoot's breath became quicker and quicker until she was close to hyperventilating. "The pup! I can't-- I should-- NO!" she yelled in her mind. The adrenalin shot through her legs, making her jump forward.

Barely a second later she entered the river. The water engulfed her body and flowed through her hair and her ruffled wings. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before the water splashed around her head. She stretched her legs and tried to find some ground to move forward, but the current caught her before she had the chance to do so.

Fleetfoot swam down the river. Her head broke through the surface a few times, which gave her barely enough time to catch her breath before she was pushed down again. "Come on! I have to get to the puppy!" she thought and struggled with her legs.

She used her good wing to push herself a bit up and soon she found a good rhythm, which helped her keep her head up. "Where is it!" she thought and looked around. The water burned in her eyes and flowed into her ears, which made it much harder to find anything.

The barking sounded again, not too far from her. She looked around and saw the Timberwolf on one of the boulders in the middle of the river, trying with all strenght it had to climb on top of it. It's wet paws slipped away again and again and the pup whined in despair.

"I'M COMING!" Fleetfoot yelled and pushed her legs back again and again. It was very exhausting to her, but she managed to swim into the middle. With one leg she grasped the boulder and pulled herself to the Timberwolf. It shook and whined a bit more.

"Come here." Fleetfoot said and tried to sound comforting despite the noise of the splashing water all around her. "I'll help you, I promise!" she said and held her free hoof close to its snout. It sniffed on her leg for a moment before it let go of the boulder. The current pushed the pup right into Fleetfoot and she laid both forelegs around the pup.

"It trusts me that easily?" she wondered for a moment, before she was pushed down again. Fleetfoot flapped her wing with all her might. With one foreleg she held the trembling, wooden creature close to her barrel. And with her other legs she pushed herself forward, trying to get to the other side as quick as possible. The water took her sight more than once, but she was determined to reach dry ground again.

With a last push she arrived at the river bank and pushed the pup up. It jumped out of her embrace and walked in circles before it shook its body rapidly, to get rid of all the water under its bark. Fleetfoot climbed out of the forest and her legs felt very wobbly.

"At least the pup is safe." she thought and watched the pup scratching its ear with its hind leg. "Maybe it would've been better to walk away and let nature take care of the pup. But... I couldn't live with myself if I would've let it drown. I may be ignorant of other's feelings or overly prideful... but I'm definitely not cruel."

She took her long, messy mane with her hooves and pressed the remaining water out of it. "I hope I don't get sick." she muttered and looked down on her body.

Suddenly she had the feeling, the she missed something. With one hoof she ran over her neck. "My scarf!" she suddenly yelled and looked around. "I lost it in the water!" She turned around and checked the ground around her. It should be easy to spot with its vibrant color, but she couldn't see it, wherever she looked.

"Oh no..." she said and dropped her ears. It was only a scarf. The rest of her ripped uniform. But to her, it was her only reminder of her home. The only thing, that gave her the feeling to be still in contact with all her comrades. And now it went down the river, never to be seen again.

Fleetfoot sighed loudly before something else made her jump up. Not too far away she heard the howling of a Timberwolf. It was long and deep and she noticed, that the howl sometimes became more quiet or even stutter. Like a language they speak.

The pup sat still for a moment, to hear all of the howl. It then stretched its head into the air and howled itself. It sounded very high pitched and a bit strange to Fleetfoot. And very adorable.

"Are you alright?" she asked the pup and came closer, after it ended its howl. She wanted to make sure, that everything is alright, before she would leave. "The others will be here soon, I shouldn't waste too much time." she thought and became nervous again.

The pup turned around and barked at Fleetfoot. It sounded like a happy barking and its eyes wandered over Fleetfoot. Suddenly, it jumped at Fleetfoot, which threw her on her back. "HEY!" she yelled and struggled to get away. To her surprise, she felt something warm and wet in her face. Fleetfoot stopped her struggle for a moment and noticed, that the pup was licking her face. It made small yips in between and waggled its tail so fast, as if it tried to lift itself up.

"Hey, hey!" she said and chuckled. Yet, she felt a bit disgusted from its licking and felt the urge to clean her face later on. "You don't need to thank me. It was the only right thing to do." she said and pushed the pup a bit away from her.

A loud barking suddenly made her gasp. She looked to her side to the grown up Timberwolves, who just arrived. They snarled at her and walked around with their gaze on the pony.

The pup jumped up and greeted the Timberwolf with the flowers, who snatched the pup with her teeth. The pup barked in shock and whined, as the bigger Timberwolf shook it slightly. It then put it down again and started licking the wet pup.

"As if it would educate the pup. Maybe it's the mother?" she wondered and looked around. To her surprise, she was now surrounded by three big Timberwolves. Besides the flower Timberwolf stood the big Timberwolf, who stood in front of Fleetfoot and lifted its head high into the air. A bit more to the side stood a smaller Timberwolf, who had a small, round rock as its nose.

"I-I didn't hurt your pup." Fleetfoot stuttered. She still lay on the ground with her belly up and she feared, that a quick move could mean her end. The big Timberwolf snarled and walked closer to her. It flared its fangs and quickly looked to the flower Timberwolf. It seemed, as if they communicated through small signals like looks or a twitch of the ear.

Fleetfoot tried to use the chance and rolled slowly back onto her hooves. She still lay on the ground, but she didn't felt as vulnerable as before. Not that she could feel any safety around a Timberwolf, but it was slightly better.

The Timberwolf turned back to her and barked a few more times.

"NOO!" Fleetfoot yelled in her thoughts. "I was so close to getting out of the forest again! I ran and climbed and cried for so long and now it was for nothing!" she thought with anger. Her mind raced and she tried to come up with an escape. "Maybe I could jump to the side back into the river! That sounds goo--"

Her eyes opened wide when she felt a hot breath around her back. The Timberwolf leaned forward and picked her with its teeth up. They stung between her rips and her heart raced as fast as never before.

"Is this the end?" Fleetfoot wondered and expected the Timberwolf to bite at any moment. She was lifted up and she felt the constant breathing of the large animal. It looked at the other Timberwolves and then turned around to walk into a completely different direction.

"Huh?" Fleetfoot said and looked up. The big Timberwolf and the rest of its pack split up. The pup barked a few times at her before it ran after its mother and the other Timberwolf.

"I wonder what will happen to me." Fleetfoot thought and tried to breath normally to calm herself down. A rotten and outright disgusting stench filled her nose and she tried her best not to empty her stomach. "I forgot. Timberwolves have supposedly very bad breath." she remembered and let her head hung low.

"What have I got myself into..."

Author's Note:

We finally came across the scene of the cover art. Also, the story is half-way done! Yeah, there are still some things to solve. What will happen to Fleetfoot? What happened to the other three Timberwolf puppies, who never appear? And what is this mysterious thing, that High Winds wants to give to Fleetfoot? (hint: it's mentioned in the first chapter ) You'll find out... if you continue reading.

Also, this will be the last time we hear from the other Wonderbolts for a long time.